The Ford Torino Page Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > Powertrain Specific Forum > 335 Series Engine Forum
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - 1973 400 2V: How do I keep it alive?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

1973 400 2V: How do I keep it alive?

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
Turbo View Drop Down
New Member
New Member
Avatar

Joined: 17-October-2013
Location: Fort Collins CO
Status: Offline
Points: 13
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Turbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: 1973 400 2V: How do I keep it alive?
    Posted: 12-November-2013 at 10:17AM
I recenlty dug up a '73 Gran Torino Squire w/ 74,000 miles which was ordered with the C6 and a 400.  The car had been sitting for awhile (8-ish years?) and then was flooded in September, prompting its return to the street.
 
I have flushed everything (multiple times) and I have it running / driving, although I still need to rebuild the carb.  People are telling me not to bother, because a 400 "is a bad engine" and it's destined to die.
 
I've heard:
     They eat valves
     They eat lifters
     They eat valves and lifters
     Cams are bad
     Cranks are bad
     #1) Poor oiling.
 
I was reading up on posts in the archives, and I found lots of information for rebuilding this and making it faster/bigger/better, but what about just plain ol' stock, for weekend cruising and such?
 
Do I want/need a high flow oil pump?  (If so, is there one that I can use that won't require changing the pan?)
Do I need a new pan?
Do I need a new engine?
 
Any help you can give is greatly appreciated!  Thanks all!
1973 Gran Torino Squire submarine
Back to Top
unlovedford View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 17-December-2010
Location: Tennessee
Status: Offline
Points: 10142
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote unlovedford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-November-2013 at 10:25AM
Turbo,

I grew up with my mom's '72 Gran Torino Squire with a 400. We ran the snot out of that car and it was always good. Had a '74 Ranchero with the 400, no problems there either. I now have an LTD with a 400 that runs fine. That being said, they are great cruising engines, plenty of torque, reliable as anything else out there. Powerhouses like a 4V Cleveland? No. Able to run at high rpm's for extended amounts of time? Not advisable with a stocker.

I would build that 2150 carb, tune it up and enjoy a good smooth engine. Just my opinion, for whatever it is worth.
Joe
1972 Mom's Squire Wagon
1972 Torino Wagon
1976 Torino       
1968 Cougar XR7-First batch
1972 Torino 460
1989 BroncoII/Jeeps/Titanimous
Popeye and Brutus (Rams)
Back to Top
Big Bird View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 25-August-2013
Location: New York
Status: Offline
Points: 4194
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Big Bird Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-November-2013 at 10:44AM
Run it and have fun with it. The oiling system has all the same weak points that a cleveland has, with bigger diameter bearings to add to the joy. High volume or high pressure oil pumps really won't help. The engine is a great low RPM Grunt-master, it's not a motor to wind out. That being said, if the engine was damaged by the sitting or the flooding, then the damage is done. Drive it and see what happens.
"What we do in full frontal view, is more honest than your cleaned-up mind."
Randy
1979 T-Bird
2005 F-150 STX RCSB 4.6, 3.55 LSD
How the Heck does a REGULAR CAB SHORTBED weigh over 5200 pounds?
Back to Top
GranTorinoSport View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar
Admin of "The Org"

Joined: 20-May-2003
Location: Seattle
Status: Offline
Points: 2287
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GranTorinoSport Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-November-2013 at 10:55AM
I had a 400 in my 76 Elite. It made it about 220,000 before finally dying. There isn't anything wrong with the motors. It is when you start talking performance adding stuff that the 400 shows it's one weakness which is the compression height or quench or whatever they call it. Also, pistons and some other 400-unique parts can be hard to find.

Have people made really good 400's? Yes.

Is there any fundamental design flaw in the engine that will cause it to die an early death? No.

Is it the best choice for a performance motor? Probably not, but it may not be a bad choice for a mild performance motor. You won't have the cubic inches of the 460, but you also won't have the insane clearance issues of the 460 either. 400's fit right in. 460's get shoe-horned in.

Check out the Bubba M-block pages I have re-hosted here. Lots of great information.
Scott Eklund

Webmaster
Back to Top
foote500 View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 13-June-2011
Location: Winchester, VA
Status: Offline
Points: 1267
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote foote500 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-November-2013 at 12:29PM
I heard they eat crickets too.
Marc
German Shepherd Rescue
1967 Ford Fairlane 500, 390

Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.06
Copyright ©2001-2023 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.109 seconds.